BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Despite a second-half surge from the Gamecocks offense and record-setting night for senior Christian Cunningham, the Jacksonville State men's basketball team was unable to overcome a 19-point halftime deficit at Samford on Friday. The Gamecocks fell 92-72 in the 2018-19 debut, dropping their first season opener of the Ray Harper era.
 
Cunningham became JSU's career blocks leader in Friday's contest, picking up two rejections before the end of the first half. A block of Brandon Austin tied the record, and his swat on a Ruben Guerrero shot was the 163rd of his career. He surpassed the previous record of 162, held by Amadou Mbodji since 2010.
 
Bulldogs guard Josh Sharkey highlighted the Samford victory with a double-double performance on 22 points and 10 assists, while pitching in eight steals and five rebounds.
 
Jacksonville State found itself down by as many as 26 points in the first half after a one-point lead lasted just four minutes into the game. Led by Sharkey, the Bulldogs were able to open up a double-digit lead by the 10-minute mark. During the remaining 16 minutes of the first period, Sharkey scored a half-best 13 points and recorded six steals.
 
Unrelenting, the Gamecocks closed out the first half with seven unanswered points, carrying momentum to the locker room. Following the 15-minute break, Jacksonville State went on a 12-6 tear to begin the second half. Cunningham began the scoring with a big two-handed dunk that helped propel the offense to a 10-point run at the 15:46 mark. In the four minutes, the JSU defense forced four Samford turnovers.
 
Despite the hot start to the second period, it wasn't enough to stifle the hot-handed Bulldogs.  Samford ended the second half shooting 56 percent, knocking down 114 of 25 shots and out-scoring Jacksonville State 45-44 in the period.
 
Four Gamecocks ended the night with double-digit points. Jason Burnell led the attack with 16 points, followed by 13 each from Ty Hudson and Marlon Hunter. Cunningham finished with 10 points and four blocks.

With a block of Ruben Guerrero, Christian Cunningham becomes Jacksonville State's all-time blocks leader with 163, surpassing Amadou Mbodji who has held the program record since 2010.#FearTheBeak pic.twitter.com/WnsDDnRn6K

— JSU Men's Basketball (@JSU_MBB) November 10, 2018

 
Jacksonville State continues its six-day, three-game road trip Monday with a 6 p.m. matchup at Penn State. The contest against the Nittany Lions is set to broadcast on BTN. JSU wraps up the trek Wednesday at 7 p.m. with a meeting against Bradley in Peoria, Ill., on ESPN+. Both games are part of the Cancun Challenge's mainland bracket.
 
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